Do Men and Women Leverage Technology Differently in Business?

Do men and women leverage technology differently in business? That was the question that Women & Co.’s fearless editor, Gabby Phillips, asked me to explore in support of May’s Small Business Month.

The Facts on the Gender Divide

I began by going surfing… on the web, that is (seriously, me and a surfboard do not jive) and came across the AT&T Small Business Technology Poll, which uncovered some differences in approach. For example, male small business owners were more likely to have a company website (65% to 58%), while women-owned small businesses were more likely to use social media (48% to 34%). A Citi Small Business survey highlighted that a business owner’s age also is a factor: those under 45 were more likely than those age 45+ to use digital and social media (54% to 36%), search engine optimization (44% to 34%) and a website (72% to 68%). Across the board, though, both surveys show that small businesses are increasing their use of web and social media platforms to connect with customers and grow their businesses.

Insights into the Gender Divide

For more insights on the gender question, I turned to the always inspiring Kimberle Levin, an award-winning serial entrepreneur and adjunct professor on entrepreneurship at Montgomery County Community College. Kimberle’s company portfolio includes Teknuko, which provides core IT infrastructure services to the small/medium business markets; KimberleLevinEvents, an exclusive executive events company; and KidzTri3, a non-profit which produces kids’ triathlons/duathlons focused on ages 7 to 15. Later this year, Kimberle is launching her 9th company, Entrepreneurs Clubhouse, which is a web-based destination site for entrepreneurs to communicate and receive counsel directly from Kimberle.

From what she’s observed, Kimberle believes gender isn’t a factor when it comes to “easy” technology to help manage business inventory or finances, from dealing with invoices to making payments and transferring funds, but both gender and age do play a role in how technology platforms and channels are used in marketing a business. Kimberle “guestimates” that less than 5% of her women entrepreneur students 40+ come to her class thinking about how to use technology to create and sustain a strategic advantage. “Many business owners I know are so caught up with working in their business that they don’t make time to work on their business,” said Kimberle.

Regardless of gender, in the world of small business, failing to effectively leverage technology is a dangerous game.

The Role Technology Plays in Small Business

Regardless of gender, in the world of small business, failing to effectively leverage technology is a dangerous game. Kimberle warned, “With the vast majority of consumers using their desktop, tablet and smartphone to do research and shop, if you don’t have a strong digital presence, you’re not only leaving potential profits on the table but could be making your business irrelevant in a consumer’s commerce stream.”

So why aren’t small business owners taking advantage of technology? Kimberle explained, “While focus is an incredibly important trait for success as a business owner, some emerging/aspiring entrepreneurs I meet are so focused on what they know—which is the traditional marketing funnel—that they are crowding out opportunities to uncover new customer segments and connect with customers in a way that would let them shape the conversation and the competitive environment.”

Excuses, Excuses

On the “why” behind this, Kimberle reflected, “I think there is a tendency for some business owners to make it about themselves, rather than the customers. Rather than focusing on what you want to say and how you want to reach prospective customers, they should put themselves in a customer’s shoes and ask “How would someone find me?”, “What search terms would someone use?”, and “What questions would they ask about a company like mine?” Then you can build a holistic strategy around the avenues—such as website, e-mail, blog, social—that make sense given what you do, who your audience is and where they are online and offline. If you make the business about you, you will never have a viable business.”

Fear of failure is another factor contributing to a business owner’s reservations about using technology in marketing, said Kimberle. “I tell my students all the time: don’t get caught up with perfection. Not everything you do is going to work out—but that can be true of traditional marketing programs, such as print advertising, too. So an e-mail marketing campaign doesn’t work out—what is important is what you take from the experience to inform your next marketing effort. I’m a huge advocate of taking a test-and-learn approach with any marketing effort, so you can manage the downside and pivot quickly based on the results, either ramping up your efforts if they are delivering strong results or optimizing your value proposition to improve performance.”

Putting Technology to Work for You

Wherever you are on your entrepreneurial journey, you might find these tips useful for taking advantage of online marketing and social media tools from Citi Small Business.